“The idea is to see if we can get a balloon festival off the ground in Crapaud,” said Tom Albrecht, the second vice-chair of the exhibition.
Albrecht said plans are in place to have three hot air balloons on site for the Crapaud Exhibition this year.
Two are balloonists from Ottawa while a third balloonist from Hunter River will also be on site.
People will be able to pay to go up in a balloon at either $20 for a tethered ride or $200 for an hour-long flight.
The idea is to build up an audience for hot air ballons and hopefully draw more people and balloonists for future events.
“It works into the exhibition itself,” said Albrecht.
He said that eventually he would like to see an annual
festival similar to that held in
Sussex, N.B.
“But before that happens we have to see what the interest is here,” Albrecht said. “But that is the goal down the road.”
Balloonist Frank Novak of Hunter River said he is looking forward to the event and is glad to be involved piloting a hot air balloon.
“Balloon festivals attract a lot of people,” he said. “They seem to interest people of all ages.”
Balloon rides will take place over the course of the exhibition starting Friday, July 30, and
continuing Saturday and
Sunday with flights at 5:45 a.m. and at 7 p.m., both Friday and Saturday.
Sunday there will only be a 5:45 a.m. flight time available.
On the Net: www.crapaudexhibition.com
Flights are done first thing in the morning and in the evening as that is the time when the breeze is typically at it's calmest thus making flights more manageable. Lynn is correct in stating that most flights are typically in the $250-$300+ range, so this is a very fair rate